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PASCO -- The Chinese may consider 2009 to be the Year of the Ox, but for the folks at Tri-Cities Prep, it's turning out to be the Fall of the Jaguar.
It started when the volleyball team won its first-ever league title, sweeping its Southeast 2B-1B South rivals.
Then, the boys cross country team romped to its first-ever district title, putting five runners in the top 10, before placing fifth at the state meet in Pasco.
And now it's the football team's turn in the spotlight. The Jaguars captured the Southeast 1B title for the first time earlier this month, and with their win over Wilbur-Creston in the regional round last week earned a fourth straight trip to the state playoffs.
They host Almira/Coulee-Hartline tonight at Edgar Brown Stadium, looking to advance to the semifinals for only the second time in the program's history.
As proud of sixth-year coach Dan Whitsett is of his program's success on the field, he's quick to tell you that his win-loss record is only a small part of the story at the 135-student Catholic high school in west Pasco.
"Winning is only a byproduct of what this school stands for," he said. "We're about developing work ethic, both inside the hallways and outside on the field. We put a very high emphasis on leadership, on sportsmanship, on doing the right thing."
For all three coaches, a unique part of coaching at Prep is molding fresh clay into their programs.
Volleyball coach Jolene Calzadillas said only one player on her team this year had any experience playing club ball.
"We rely a lot on summer stuff," Calzadillas said. "They had to take a lot of time out of their summers."
Whitsett said most of the 18 players suiting up tonight had never played football before turning out for his team. Senior quarterback Will Hoppes, for instance, attended St. Joseph's and mostly sat on the bench for one season while playing for Park MS.
Tight end Antonio Ledesma didn't turn out for football until his sophomore year. All-state lineman Jay Orth didn't play until he arrived at Prep, then missed his first two years because of knee injuries.
"They're learning how to put their helmet on at the first practice," Whitsett said. "They just want to be part of a unique program."
Cross country coach Matt Kerr has built the program from the ground up, commuting from his day job as a teacher at Richland's Jefferson Elementary.
With the help of his two seniors -- Daniel Foust and Samuel Mota-Martinez -- beating the bushes for runners, the Jaguars had 35 runners out this season.
"The kids are encouraged to do all these different activities here," Kerr said. "And then there's the schoolwork on top of that, the grade checks every week. They're under a lot of pressure, but they've been able to pull it off."
The team GPAs for the three programs -- 3.72 for cross country, 3.51 for football, 3.89 for volleyball -- attest to that ability.
"There's no question we're proud of our accomplishments on the field," Whitsett said. "But no more proud than that the cross country team has a 3.7 GPA, for instance. I went to the state cross country meet, and I stood out there watching a sport I know little about.
"But we're a family here. It's what you do."
School president Steve Potter was formerly the athletic director at Richland, so he understands the importance of sports in the curriculum.
He credits the work of athletic director Ray Whitlow, who also serves as the Southeast District president.
"These are his kids," Potter said. "He takes so much pride in this athletic program (and) its evolution."
The next part of that evolution is postseason success.
The volleyball team came up one win short of advancing out of districts to its first-ever state appearance. "Teams like St. John-Endicott, Colton, LaCrosse-Washtucna, they've done it over and over, and they know how to win when they have to," Calzadillas said.
The football team is just 1-3 in its previous state appearances, losing in the first round last year to Cusick.
Part of that is because this will be the first time Prep has hosted a state playoff game, thanks in part to finally winning a league title.
But the Jaguars also have a team capable of making some noise in the postseason this year. Hoppes is fully recovered from a shoulder injury and continues to rack up state records, and running back Kevin Ratuiste has stepped up the past couple of weeks to force teams not to load up to stop the passing game.
"He's made a big difference," Whitsett said. "And we were very fortunate to stay healthy during league play."
Add in a defense that has posted three shutouts during a seven-game win streak, and it all means one thing:
The Fall of the Jaguar could finish up at the Tacoma Dome.
Today's games
1B
Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (10-1) vs. Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars (8-2)
7 p.m., Edgar Brown Stadium (KONA 610 AM)
Coaches: ACH, Brandon Walsh (10th year, 47-58); TCP, Dan Whitsett (6th year, 47-16).
Last quarterfinal appearance: ACH, 2007; TCP, 2008.
ACH leaders: QB Derek Isaak, soph. (6-1, 165), 39-54-1-439, 11 TDs pass, 560 yds, 13 TDs rush; RB Dylan Tipps, sr. (5-9, 160), 113-1256-19 rush; RB Cody Jess, jr. (5-11, 170), 560 yds, 6 TDs rush, 14-173-4 rec.
TCP leaders: QB Will Hoppes, sr. (6-0, 185), 118-164-4-1924, 32 TDs pass, 49-496-6 rush; WR Troy Redmann, jr. (6-0, 170), 67-1239-19 rec, 42-304-5 rush; RB Kevin Ratuiste, sr. (5-10, 160), 82-1062-13 rush, 32-454-6 rec; TE Antonio Ledesma, sr. (6-2, 185), 30-469-6 rec.
Both teams rose to prominence the same year -- 2006, when ACH returned to the playoffs after a 14-year absence and Prep made its first-ever appearance. The Warriors won the 2007 state title. The Jaguars are 1-3 all-time at state.
Oregon 5A
Hermiston Bulldogs (7-3) at Crater Comets (8-1)
7:30 p.m., Dutch Meyer Field (KOHU 1360 AM)
Coaches: Hermiston, Mark Hodges (2nd year, 14-7); Crater, John Beck (6th year, 35-27).
Hermiston leaders: QB Faafiaula Ena, sr. (5-11, 215); RB Stevie Martinez, jr. (5-8, 165); WR Mike Royer, sr. (6-5, 195).
Crater leaders: QB Tyler Turituri, jr. (6-2, 197), 63-95-7-1016, 17 TDs pass, 72-236-3 rush; RB Devin Massey, sr. (5-11, 175), 78-568-6 rush; WR Christen Massey, sr. (5-11, 179), 19-306-7 rec.
Another week, another lengthy bus ride for the Bulldogs, who won their first-round playoff game 56-35 over Marshfield after driving almost the entire day to reach the Southern Oregon coast. This time, they get the Southern Sky champions, who have yet to lose to an in-state opponent and are averaging almost 31 points per game.
